Bobbin-winder for sewing-machines



J. A. FLANAGAN.

BOBBIN WINDER FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 30. ISIS. RENEWED JUNE 15. 1921.

' Patented Aug. 23, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET J. A. FLANAGAN.

BOBBIN WINDER FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 30. 1919. RENEWED JUNE 15, 1522!.

1,388,180. Patented Aug. 23, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- flv iwm UNITED STATES,

PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES ALEXANDER FLANAGAN, OF TORONTO, CANADA.

BOBBIN-WINDER FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

Specification 01' Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 23, 1921.

Application filed April'ao, 1919, Serial No. 298,688. Renewed June 15, 1921. Serial No. 477,7205.

T 0 all whom it may concem:

Be it known that I, JAMES ALEXANDER FLANAGAN, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Toronto, in the county of York and Dominion of Canada, have 1nventeda certain new and useful Improvement in Bobbin-Winders for Sewing-Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My present invention relates to a bobbin winding attachment for sewing machines, in which the bobbin spindle is mounted in a pivoted arm adapted to oscillate between an operative and an inoperative position, and the friction wheel on said spindle is adapted to receive motion from the fiy-wheel of the sewing machine to turn the spindle, and a pivoted latch is employed to yleldingly engage said arm and hold the friction wheel in operative relation with the fly-wheel, the object of the invention being to utilize the thread wound on the bobbin as the winding proceeds to move said arm to a position where the friction wheel will be out of contact with the fiy-wheel.

With this object in view I construct the bobbin winding attachment with a member which for convenience may be termed a castoif arm and rigidly secure it to the wheel guard so as to take a downwardly forwardly inclined direction. Near the upper end of the cast-ofi' arm is pivoted the oscillating arm carrying the bobbin spindle, which in its operative position also takes a downwardly forwardly inclined direction. Journaled in the osclllating arm near its outer end is the bobbin spindle provided with a friction wheel adapted to receive motiori from the fly-wheel when the oscillating arm is in its operative position, the oscillating arm being acted upon b a spring which tends to move it to and ho d it in its inoperative position. Intermediate its ends, the oscillating arm is formed with a substantially vertical slot, and extending" through the slot is a latch which is preferably piv-- oted to the stationary cast-off arm. This latch is provided with a beveled shoulder engaging the edge of the slot, to yieldingly maintain the oscillating arm in its operative position, and with a-stop to arrest the movement of the oscillating arm when it has reached the limit of its inoperative position, the shoulder of the latch being yieldingly maintained in engagement with the edge of the slot by a spring connected to the latch, and to the cast-off arm.

The cast-off arm has a stationary finger or member opposed to that part of the bobsewlng machine head and the hand-Wheel o r fiy-wheel, with the bobbin winder in pos1t1on. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the handwheel or fly-wheel also showing the winder 1n position and showing the head of the machine and the needle shaft in cross-section. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the friction wheel, its bracket and adjacent parts. Fig. 4 we perspective view of the latch and its stationary support.

The sewing machine arm 1, its hand-wheel or fi -wheel 2, and shaft 3 may be of any usua or approved construction. The arm 1 has the usual bearing 4 for the shaft 3 and this bearing extends outwardly toward the hand-wheel or fiy-wheel.

The bobbin winder, is preferably secured to a guard 5, having a flange 6 overhanging more or less the band groove of the hand wheel, and a segmental hub 7, the latter being adapted to fit the bearing 4 of the arm and to be secured thereon in any suitable manner, as by a screw 8, so as to remain stationary. 9 is an oscillating arm, pivotally mounted upon a screw or stud 10 projecting from the guard 5, and having a bearing '11 for the bobbin spindle 12, one end of which is adapted to receive and engage the bobbin 13 and the other end of which carries a friction wheel 14, which is adapted to turn incontact with a hub or boss or runway 15 of the hand-wheel or fly-wheel 2, so as to impart rotary motion to the spindle 12 and consequently to the bobbin. This arm 9 preferabl takes a downwardly-forwardly inclined irection to bring the friction wheel into contact with the fly-wheel when it is in itsdo erative position. The arm 9 is prov1 e through which extends a latch pivoted at 21 to a cast-off arm 22 which is rigidly and immovably fastened tothe guard 5.

This latch is engaged by'a spring 23 connected at one end to the latch, and at the other end to the cast-ofi' arm 22 and is formed between its ends, with a beveled shoulder or oflset20 to slidingly engage the edge of the'slot 19 and so hold the arm 9 against the tension of the spring 16, that the friction wheel will be in engagement with the fly-wheel or hand-wheel, fofthe winding of the bobbin as shown in Fig. 2, which I may be termed the operative positionof the winding mechanism, and with a stop 20 at 7 its free end to arrest the arm when it has reached the limit of movement in its inoperative position hereinafter described.

Between the beveled shoulder or offset 20" and the stop 20 is a head 20, which under the influence of the spring 23 presses against the wall of the slot 19, when the parts are in their inoperative position, and with the coaction of a sprin 16, connected at one end to the arm 9 an at the other end to the cast-ofi' arm 22, holds the arm 9 in its inoperative .position, in which position the friction wheel 14 will be out of operative en agement with the hand-whee. or fly-wheel. he lower end of the cast-ofi' arm 22 has a laterally deflected member 24, parallel to the bobbin spindle, and this deflected member 24 has a stationary cast-off finger 25 curved substantially on an arc of a circle and extending into alinement with the thread-.re-

ceiving portion of the bobbin. When the bobbin is filling, the thread comes into '-contact with the finger 25 and as the filling proceeds, the thread exerts pressure against the finger and causes the arm 9 to move away from the finger. The edge of the slot 19 then moves along the beveled shoulder or offset 20 and presses the latch forward and ultimately enables the arm 9 to back off from the shoulder or offset 20, and carry the friction wheel out of engagement with the hand-wheel or flywheel and thus stop the winding. The arm 9 then moves upwardly alon the head 20 of the latch until its upwar movement is arrested by the stop 20*. When the arm 9 backs off the shoulder or off-set 20* the spring 16 exerts its force on the arm 9 and moves it outward from the fly-wheel until arrested b the stop 20". The arm and friction whee are then in what may be termed the inoperative position of the winding mechanism. When the arm 9 reaches its inoperative position the spring 16, assisted by the ressure of the head 20 a ainst the wall of t e slot 19 securely holds the arm 9 againstinadvertent return to its operative position. The wound bobbin may then be rewith a substantially vertical slot 19 moved and-an empty bobbin put in its place and the arm 9 snapped back into engagement with the shoulder or offset 20 of its latch 20, and the winding ma then proceed.

Obviously the winding of bobbins may proceed irrespective of the operation of the sewing machine, and, as already stated,bobbin winding may be carried on as well when the sewing machine is stitching as when not stitching. In other words, there is no necessary interruption of the stitching or sewing ceeding. 1

Any suitable thread guide or distributer may be used. As herein shown a pin 26 is designed to receive the spool 27 from which the thread is to be unwound to fill the bobbin. This pin is mounted upon a projection 28 depending from the bearlng 11, and this projection carries a sufport 29 on which is pivoted the thread gui e 30, and'this threadguide has a slotted arm 31 which engages a pin 32 mounted eccentrically on a wormwheel 33 journaled on the projection and engaging a worm 34 on the spindle 12. Thus it will be seen that by the rotation of the spindle, the worm wheel is turned and the thread guide is caused to traverse the width of the bobbin, back and forth, to guide or lay the thread evenly on the bobbin.

Variations in the details ofconstruction and arrangement of arts are considered to be within the scope o the invention as herein claimed.

What I claim is 1. A bobbin winder for sewing machines, comprising a pivoted arm adapted to oscillate between an operative and an inoperative position, a bobbin spindle mounted in said arm, a friction wheel on said spindle adapted to receive motion from the fly-wheel of the sewing machine to turn the spindle, a pivoted latch to yieldingly engage said arm and hold the friction wheel in operative relation with the fly-wheel, and av stationary abutment opposed to the bobbin spindle and engaged by the thread wound on the bobbin as the winding proceeds to actuate the arm to displace the latch and then move said arm from its operative to its inoperative position.

2. A bobbin winder -for sewing machines, comprising a pivoted arm adapted to oscillate between an operative and an inoperative position, a bobbin spindle mounted in said arm, a friction wheel on said spindle adapted to receive motion from the fly-wheel of the sewing machine to turn the spindle, a pivoperation while the bobbin winding is prooted latch having a beveled shoulder to yield to displace the latch and then move said arm from its operative to its inoperative position. a

3. A bobbin winder for sewing machines, comprising a pivoted arm adapted to oscillate between an operative and an inoperative position, a bobbin spindle mounted in said arm, a friction wheel on said spindle adapted to receive motion from the fly-wheel of the sewing machine to turn the spindle, a pivoted latch having a beveled shoulder to ieldingly engage said arm and hold the friction wheel in operative relation with the fl wheel, stationary means opposed to the b0 bin spindle and engaged by the thread wound on the bobbin as the winding roceeds to press the arm against said shou der to displace the latch and then move said arm from its operative to its inoperative position, and a stop for said latch to arrest the arm when it has moved to the limit of its inoperative position.

4. A bobbin winder for sewing machines,

comprising a pivoted arm adapted to oscillate between an operative and an inoperative position, a bobbin spindle mounted in said arm, a friction wheel on said spindle ada ted to receive motion from the fly-wheel o the sewin machine to turn the spindle, a pivoted latch having a beveled shoulder to yieldingly engage said arm and hold the friction wheel in operative relation with the fly-wheel, stationary means opposed to the bobbin spindle and engaged by the thread wound on the bobbin asthe winding proceeds to press the arm against said shglder to displace the latch and then move thgc fim from its operative to its inoperative position,

a spring to hold the arm in its inoperative position, and a spring acting upon the pivoted'latch to maintain it in engagement with the arm. I

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-eighth day of April, A. D. 1919.

JAMES ALEXANDER FLANAGAN.

Witnesses:

LILLIAN GRAHAM, MARGARET RonmsoN. 

